2

When Gunther started barking, Edward was pulled out of the first peaceful slumber he'd had in three years. Sitting up, he watched his dog rush out of the room after hearing someone knocking on the back door.

Groaning, he threw the blanket off and climbed out of bed, shuffling into the kitchen. Through the small window, he could see his mother peering in, which explained why Gunther was making so much noise. Typically, he did not react to strangers showing up, but he always got excited when Edward's mother dropped by for a visit.

Edward clenched his jaw as he yanked the door open. He should have expected her after last night. His brother would have made sure to let her know that Edward had resurfaced, especially with an unconscious woman in his arms.

Elizabeth Cullen was a tiny woman with curly auburn hair that reached her shoulders and hauntingly beautiful green eyes. Delicate wrinkles bit into the corners of her mouth as she smiled. There was a time when his mother was his greatest comfort, but like everyone in his life, he'd pushed her away, too.

"Kind of early, don't you think?" Edward groused, leaving the door open as he turned and walked toward the coffee pot.

"It's nearly three o'clock in the afternoon."

He glanced at the microwave. "Oh."

"I brought you some food." Elizabeth placed a Pyrex dish on the counter before peeling the aluminum foil back. "Your favorite."

Edward nodded. "Put it in the fridge."

"Or, I could put it in the oven. When was the last time you ate?"

Edward shrugged.

"You've lost weight."

He nodded.

Elizabeth leaned against the counter. "I've been calling."

Again, he nodded.

"Why haven't you answered? Or called me back?"

He shrugged, busying himself by pouring them each a cup of coffee. He held one out to her. "What'd he tell you?"

Elizabeth smiled, hugging the cup to her chest. "Said you waited all night."

"Just wanted to be sure she was okay."

"Still, you didn't need to spend all night in the waiting room."

Edward stifled the urge to roll his eyes.

"Where'd you find her?"

"Gunther found her, not me."

"Okay, where did Gunther find her?"

Edward waved toward the beach. "Around the cove, right on the shoreline."

"And you don't know how long she'd been there?"

He shook his head.

"Carlisle said she's beautiful."

Edward just stared at her.

"Is she?"

"Couldn't really tell with all the bruising."

His mother smirked. "That's bullshit, son."

"I wasn't looking at her face, Ma. Too busy trying to get her somewhere safe and warm. She was barely alive."

"Yes, I suppose she was."

"Did he tell you anything else? Do they know who she is?"

Elizabeth tilted her head. "No. Of course, he couldn't really share her medical needs with me. HIPPA, you know?"

Edward nodded. "And you came by to what? Press me for details since I'm no longer bound by the same standard as Carlisle?"

"No, I came to check on my son, who I haven't seen or heard from in close to a year."

He placed his cup on the counter before crossing his arms.

"You look like your father when you stand like that."

"Surprised he didn't come with you."

Elizabeth smiled. "He thought it would be easier if it were just me."

Edward scoffed.

"Fine, I thought it would be easier. After the last time we were all together . . . Well, I wasn't in the mood to bail you out of jail again."

He didn't reply. There wasn't anything to say. She worried about him. Everyone worried about him, but he'd taken responsibility for his shortcomings. He hadn't been the man she'd needed . . . deserved, and he would spend the rest of his life in purgatory, repenting for his sins.

"Why won't you talk to me, Edward?"

"I am," he muttered. "We're standing in the middle of my kitchen having a conversation, aren't we?"

"A one-sided conversation," she quipped, reaching for him, but Edward felt himself tense as he moved away. "Her death wasn't your fault, son."

Edward clenched his jaw again before he yanked the door open, his eyes focusing on anything but her.

"Fine," Elizabeth said with a sigh and placed her hand in the middle of his chest. "One day, you'll believe me. Until then, just . . . just remember that I'm only a call away."

And when Edward didn't reply, his mother left.

—H—

Edward couldn't go back to sleep. His mind was filled with too many memories. Some good, mostly bad. The sun had just started to settle when he grabbed his coat and keys, giving Gunther a look before he left. He wasn't sure where he was going, just that he needed to escape the thoughts inside his head, the constant reminder of how much he'd failed as a husband.

The last place he expected to go was the hospital. Yet, he found himself climbing out of his truck, walking across the parking lot, and taking the elevator to the fifth floor. The ICU was small and quiet, which he used to enjoy. The emergency department had always been chaotic and loud, but the ICU was calmer and more peaceful.

He found the woman's room easy enough. Standing outside, he peered in, almost expecting to see her loved ones, her family gathered around her bedside. Yet, she was alone.

The room was dark, only the light from the monitors casting any type of illumination. Her heart rate was strong, her pulse steady, and her blood pressure a bit higher than normal. But given the stress on her body, that was to be expected. From his position, he could see the swelling around her eyes, and the black and blue bruises on her neck and arms.

A cleared throat drew his attention from behind, and when he turned, Edward felt his shoulders tense when he saw Jasper Whitlock. Tall, thin with shaggy blond hair and bright blue eyes, they'd known each other since they were eight. Once upon a time, they were even friends, almost like brothers. But like everyone in Edward's life, he'd pushed him away.

"Surprised to see you here, Cullen."

Edward nodded.

"You look like shit," Jasper added.

"So I've heard," Edward muttered, looking back into the woman's room. "Know who she is yet?"

"No."

"Why not? Have you run her prints? Searched for missing persons? Have you done anything other than sit on your ass?"

Jasper leaned his head to the side. "Last time I checked, Cullen, I was the one who became a police officer, not you."

He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, we've been searching through missing cases. So far, we haven't gotten any hits, but since we don't know anything about her, it's going to take some time. We don't know where she entered the water or how far she traveled before she hit land. As for her prints, that's proving to be more difficult than I expected."

"Why?"

Jasper sighed. "Someone burned off her fingerprints."

Edward's eyes widened as he glanced back at her. "Who would have done that?"

"Hell if I know," he replied. "She's been through it, that's for sure."

"What do you mean?"

"I shouldn't be telling you this, Cullen, but she's been through a lot. Your brother found old fractures that hadn't healed properly. She has fresh bruises over older ones. Someone hurt her a lot."

"You think that's how she ended up in the water?"

Jasper shrugged. "She wasn't dressed for sailing, so I can't say for sure."

Edward looked back at her. "Did Carlisle say when she might wake up?"

"You could ask him yourself."

He shook his head.

"You could read her chart. Hell, you would know all that medical lingo better than me."

Edward didn't respond, but Jasper was right, of course. He could walk into her room and pick up her chart, read for himself all the nitty, gritty details, but at the same time, he couldn't. He'd chosen to walk away from that life after it had cost him everything.

"We've searched the area where you found her but didn't find anything," Jasper continued. "You didn't see anyone around?"

"No."

"I'm going to need an official statement. You know, for her file."

"Okay."

". . . You been out to see them yet?"

Edward tensed. "I'm not welcome anymore."

"Suppose that's true." He felt Jasper place his hand on his shoulder, which he was quick to shrug off. "We all miss her, man."

Sniffing, Edward pushed away from the doorframe and walked down the hallway, ignoring Jasper when he said, "It wasn't your fault."

But it was Edward's fault.

She'd begged and pleaded for him to stay home, to be there for her. Instead, he'd gone to work because his sacred oath had been more important than holding her while she cried.

—H—

Carlisle was seated on the front steps when Edward got home. Muttering under his breath, he slammed the truck door shut before walking past him, unlocking the door and holding it open for Gunther, who barked once before he took off down the beach.

"Whitlock called you, didn't he?" Edward asked, folding his arms as he watched his dog relieve himself before getting distracted by a bird.

"He did," Carlisle admitted. "And Mom. Both said you were being an asshole."

"Mom called me an asshole?"

"Well, not exactly. She said you were angry. I just took that to mean you're being an asshole again."

"That's fair," Edward replied before whistling. "Gunther, let's go."

The Golden Retriever pawed at the ground before looking back toward the cove.

"Now, Gunther!" Edward yelled, and the animal hurried back onto the porch, sitting at his feet. "In the house."

Gunther followed the command, but when Edward turned to follow, Carlisle grabbed his coat and yanked him backward.

"Let me go."

"I just want to talk to you."

Edward inhaled a ragged breath before pulling himself free of his brother's grip. "I don't have anything to say."

"Well, good thing I have plenty."

Gunther came back to the door, bowing down and yelping.

"I'm coming, boy."

Edward ignored his brother as he walked into the house and shrugged his coat off, hanging it back on the hook before leading Gunther into the kitchen. He filled his food bowl before turning back to Carlisle, who was standing in the doorway.

"Close the fucking door. It's cold as shit outside."

Carlisle reached behind him and pushed it shut. "You went to see her. The woman you found, I mean."

Edward nodded.

"Why?"

"Just checking on her."

"She's lucky you found her. Much longer, and we wouldn't have been able to save her."

"Well, Gunther's the good Samaritan, not me."

"You brought her in. Could have just called an ambulance."

"Because they've done such an amazing job in the past."

Carlisle frowned. "They did what they could, Eddie."

"Did they?"

"By the time they got to her, the damage . . ." Carlisle gripped the back of his neck. "It was too late."

Edward didn't respond. It was the same argument they'd rehashed for months, hell years after that night.

"We're keeping her sedated. The woman, I mean. She's got a small brain bleed, but we believe it's going to heal without surgery. We should be able to start weaning her off sedation in a few days."

"That's good."

Carlisle opened his mouth once, twice, and a third time before he said, "You can't keep doing this, Eddie."

"Doing what?"

"Isolating yourself from the world. She . . . Tanya wouldn't want you to stop living just because she died."

"Died? She didn't just die, Carlisle. She killed herself because I wasn't here for her."

"Eddie . . ."

"Just . . ." Edward shook his head. "Get out. Get the fuck out of my house and leave me the hell alone."

Without giving his brother the chance to stop him, he barreled into his bedroom, slamming the door before sliding to the floor.

Though he normally only allowed himself to cry in the shower, he could feel the sting of hot tears trickling down his cheeks.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Huge thank you to Sunflower Fran for being an amazing beta!